'God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come, behold the works of the Lord , how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.'
- Psalm 46
How do you respond when disaster strikes?
Is it anything like the writer of this psalm?
If so, praise God. But if not, keep reading to find out how.
The Sovereignty of God
To even begin to grasp the way God works in and through disasters, we must begin with a proper understanding of God's status, or rank, in creation.
Genesis 1:1 tells us, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." There isn't sufficient time in this blog to highlight all of the reasons why the Bible is true, but suffice it to say that it is the most tested, reliable, and trustworthy document in the history of humankind. This verse informs us of two important things: God is the creator of all things and God exists outside of the created order. What these two truths communicate is that God sits over and above all things in existence, for he is their creator and point of origin, and he exists apart from them. This is called his sovereignty. This term is used to describe a static fact about God, namely, that he is presiding over all things as their God. This is an important place to start in this conversation.
Now, how does sovereignty work itself out in the everyday affairs of the world?
The Providence of God
If we have the sovereignty of God in place in our minds, the next thing we need to sort out is the way in which this sovereign God actually works and uses that sovereignty in the world he rules.
This is what we would call providence. Providence is the act of God exercising his sovereignty in creation. There are many places to see this in the Bible, but there are two that I want to point out.
The first is in the story of Joseph at the end of the book of Genesis. Joseph has an up-and-down life of drama, intrigue, betrayal, failure, and victory. He is sold into slavery by jealous brothers, framed for sexual assault, abandoned in prison, and so on and so forth. But the key to the whole story is found at the end of the last chapter, where Joseph is choosing to show grace to his treacherous brothers, and he says, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today (Gen. 50:20)."
Did you catch that? It isn't that the brothers meant the whole thing for evil and God took it and turned it into a good situation; God actually meant for the difficult situation to happen to set up for a grander and more beautiful outcome to occur. This is the providence of God.
Secondly, I will point us to the book of Acts. In chapter four, after two of the Apostles (a.k.a two of the twelve disciples) had been arrested, beaten, and then released, some of the followers of Jesus gathered around to have a prayer meeting and ask God for boldness in preaching the gospel under such persecution. Here is what they said:
'When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’ — for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. - Acts 4:23-28
Do you see the beautiful words of this prayer? What they are saying, essentially, is that the people who aided in the execution of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, were being directed by the hand of almighty God to do his bidding. Let that sink in. The worst event in human history (the murder of Jesus Christ), and the best event in human history (the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ), were minutely predetermined and orchestrated by a loving and benevolent God, all for the sake of those he loves. How incredible?
This is providence, and it is the next layer in this cake we are baking.
The Goodness of God
Finally, we have to establish that God is good. If he is simply sovereign, and if he works out that sovereignty through providence, but he is not good, that is someone to be very frightened of.
But praise be to God that we have the entire Bible to testify to his infinite goodness and love for us. Here is a brief selection.
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord , the Lord , a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness... - Exodus 34:6
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
- Psalm 34:8
Oh give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
- 1 Chronicles 16:34
Good and upright is the Lord ; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. - Psalm 25:8
The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. - Psalm 145:9
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
- Mark 10:18
Starting to catch the drift? God is good; he is loving; he is merciful; he is kind.
The goodness and lovingkindess of the Lord showed itself most beautifully in the sending of his only Son, Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life and die a death in our place to bring us into right relationship with God through faith. This is the most powerful and clear picture of the goodness of God: his providing a way of being made right with him through the sacrifice of his only Son.
So now we have established that God is sovereign, that he works out of his sovereignty through providence, and in all of that is good. What in the world does that have to do with the question posed at the beginning of this blog?
Be Still and Know
To build a life of faith that withstands the storms of life, you must build upon the foundation of a big, powerful, active, and good God. To be able to praise in the midst of turmoil and disaster, when the floods have risen up to the windowsills and destruction surrounds us, you must know, and I mean really know, that God is in control, and that he is good.
The most beautiful line of the whole psalm is found in verse 10, where the Lord speaks through the psalmist and says, "Be still and know that I am God." The literal translation of 'be still' is cease striving. Stop working. Stop wondering. Stop clamoring for an explanation. Stop asking God 'why.' Just stop. Cease your striving.
But that doesn't mean just stop everything and stare at a wall. He says to be still and know. Be still and know that God is who he says he is; sovereign, active, and good.
It is only with these pieces in place that you will be able to withstand the disasters that strike, both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It is my prayer that reading this will make a spark of faith that grows into a raging fire that burns hot in the worst of times, leading you to serve your God and your neighbor with all you are.